Friends

That's a tricky question, since I suppose no one wants to 'break down' in front of friends. I can only speak from personal experience - I used my blog to communicate good days and bad (e.g. asking for help, for food, etc) and that made it easier. But face to face, with my very good friends, I was as honest as possible. Like Jackie says, tell them straight out - or one step further, ask them for specific forms of help.

But for me it was the blog. I could be honest - raw and honest - then move on. Anyone who was interested could read, and anyone who couldn't handle the drama didn't need to check the site.